Coffee Terms - I

I

IBRIK - A brass or copper pot with a long handle. The ibrik is used for brewing Middle Eastern coffee (also called Turkish Coffee or Greek coffee).

ICATU HYBRIDS - Created through repeated backcrossing of hybrids of Coffea arabica and Robusta (Coffea canephora var. robusta) with the coffee plant cultivars Caturra (Coffea arabica var. caturra) and Mundo Novo (Coffea arabica var. mundo novo). Also see Coffee plant varietals.

ICED CAPPUCCINO - See Espresso Drink Recipes.

ICO - See International Coffee Organization.

IFAT - See International Federation for Alternative Trade.

ILLUBABOR - Grown in the Illubabor region of Ethiopia at elevations between 4,400 and 6,000 feet above sea level, Illubabor coffee beans are often used in blends with Djimma Coffee and other coffees.

A good Illubabor is as full-bodied as any Ethiopian coffee and provides a well-balanced brewed cup with moderate acidity.

Also see Ethiopian Coffee.

ILLY (Illycaffe; Illycaffè S.p.A.) - See coffee companies.

IMPERFECTION - A coffee defect which may include hollow coffee beans, deformed coffee beans, chipped coffee beans, nicked coffee beans, underripe coffee beans, or overripe coffee beans, moldiness, black beans, quakers, improper harvesting or processing, improper moisture content during storing, or any other coffee bean property that may cause a flavor and/or aroma defect/fault/taint.

INDIA COFFEE (Indian Coffee) - See India Coffee.

INDIA MONSOONED MALABAR COFFEE (Indian Monsooned Malabar Coffee) - See India Monsooned Malabar Coffee.

INDIA MONSOONED MYSORE COFFEE (Indian Monsooned Mysore Coffee) - See Monsooned Mysore Coffee.

INDIA MYSORE COFFEE (Indian Mysore Coffee; India Mysore Straight Coffee; Indian Mysore Straight Coffee) - See India Mysore Coffee.

INDIAN FILTER COFFEE - A coffee decoction which is made by brewing coffee using the drip brew method and then adding milk and sugar.

The filter is a brewing utensil which is typically made of stainless steel with two long, cylindrical compartments with a top, and a perforated bottom for the top compartment that is partly filled with coffee powder and then filled up with boiling water.

The decoction then collects in the lower compartment and is used to prepare the filter coffee. Indian Filter Coffee is fairly common in southern India, particularly in the southern states of Karnataka. Also see India Coffee.

INDIA SARCHIMOR (Indian Sarchimor) - The Sarchimor coffee plant varietal is a hybrid between the Timor varietal and the Costa Rican Villa Sarchi varietal (Coffea arabica var. villa sarchi).

Due to traits inherited from the Timor varietal (which is itself a hybrid of Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora var. robusta), Sarchimor has a significant resistance to the coffee disease coffee leaf rust as well as the stem borer. The Sarchimor varietal grows in India as well as Costa Rica. Also see Costa Rica Coffee.

INDIRECT CONTACT METHOD OF DECAFFEINATION (Indirect-Contact Method Of Decaffeination; Indirect Method Decaffeination; Indirect-Method Decaffeination) - See Indirect Contact Method of Decaffeination.

INDONESIA BERGENDAL COFFEE (Indonesia Bergendal Coffee) - A variety of Coffea arabica var. typica (Coffea arabica var. bergendal) which survived the renowned 1880 coffee leaf rust outbreak which destroyed most all Typica plants in Indonesia. Also see Indonesia Coffee.

INDONESIA CELEBES COFFEE (Indonesian Celebes Coffee) - The most distinguished Celebes coffee (also called Sulawesi Coffee) is Toraja, a multi-dimensional coffee grown in the southeastern highlands and distinguished by its full-bodied richness.

A good Toraja is well-balanced with undertones of ripe fruit and dark chocolate. Toraja coffee tends to have a relatively low-toned yet vibrant acidity, though usually slightly more acidic and with less body than Sumatran coffees and more earthy than Java Arabica.

Like Sumatran coffees, the cup profile of Toraja has been called deep and brooding, with muted fruit notes. Also see Sulawesi Toraja Coffee; Indonesia Coffee.

INDONESIA COFFEE (Indonesian Coffee) - See Indonesia Coffee.

INDONESIA JAVA ARABICA COFFEE (Indonesian Java Arabica Coffee; Indonesia Java Coffee; Indonesian Java Coffee) - See Java Arabica Coffee.

INDONESIA SIDIKALANG COFFEE (Indonesian Sidikalang Coffee) - A variety of Coffea arabica var. typica (Coffea arabica var. sidikalang) which survived the renowned 1880 coffee leaf rust outbreak which destroyed most all Typica plants in Indonesia. Also see Indonesia Coffee.

INDONESIA SULAWESI COFFEE (Indonesian Sulawesi Coffee; Indonesia Sulawesi Celebes Coffee; Indonesian Sulawesi Celebes Coffee) - See Sulawesi Toraja Coffee.

INDONESIA SULAWESI TORAJA KALOSSI COFFEE (Indonesian Sulawesi Toraja Kalossi Coffee; Indonesia Toraja Coffee; Indonesian Toraja Coffee) - See Sulawesi Toraja Coffee.

INDONESIA SUMATRA COFFEE (Indonesian Sumatra Coffee) - See  Sumatra Coffee.

INDONESIA SUMATRA LINTONG COFFEE (Indonesian Sumatra Lintong Coffee) - See Sumatra Lintong Coffee.

INDONESIA SUMATRA MANDHELING COFFEE (Indonesian Sumatra Mandheling Coffee) - See Sumatra Mandheling Coffee.

INFUSION - A method of brewing coffee which involves steeping coffee grounds in water for a set amount of time.

IN PARCHMENT - Refers to coffee beans when they are at the parchment stage of processing.

INSIPID - A lifeless coffee with a tainted taste due to the penetration of oxygen and moisture into the coffee bean fibers subsequent to roasting, resulting in a loss of organic material.

INSTANT COFFEE - See Instant Coffee.

INSTANT TASTE - A coffee that reflects very few of the organoleptic qualities usually found in freshly brewed coffee. Also see Instant Coffee.

INSTITUTE FOR SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION ON COFFEE (ISIC) - See Coffee Associations, Organizations, and Boards.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR ALTERNATIVE TRADE (International Fair Trade Association; IFAT) - See Organic and Fair Trade Organizations.

INTENSITY - A qualitative measure used by cuppers (professional coffee tasters) to rate - usually on an intensity scale ranging from “not present to “very present” - each of the major coffee flavor characteristics including flavor, body, aroma, acidity, bitterness, sweetness, and aftertaste/finish.

More generally, intensity is used to describe both the strength of the brewed coffee as well as the number of vapors and gases - volatile organic compounds - of the coffee's bouquet.

INTENSITY SCALE - Ranging from “not present” to “very present,” the intensity scale is a qualitative measure used by cuppers (professional coffee tasters) to rate each of the major coffee flavor characteristics including flavor, body, aroma, acidity, bitterness, sweetness, and aftertaste/finish.

INTERNATIONAL COFFEE ORGANIZATION (ICO) - See Coffee Associations, Organizations, and Boards.

INTERNATIONAL FAIR TRADE ASSOCIATION - See International Federation for Alternative Trade.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S COFFEE ALLIANCE - See Coffee Associations, Organizations, and Boards.

IRISH COFFEE - See Espresso Drink Recipes.

ISIC - See Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee.

ISMAILI - See Yemen Ismaili Coffee.

ITALIAN AFFOGATO - See Espresso Drink Recipes.

ITALIAN ESPRESSO ROAST - See Dark Roast.

ITALIAN ROAST - The stop temperature of an Italian Roast is from 450 degrees to 455 degrees Fahrenheit. This dark commercial roast, which is significantly darker than an American Roast, is also called Vienna Roast, or South Italian when it is used in espresso blends.

An Italian Roast is dark brown to black in color (sometimes almost burned), and the flavor also may range from rich and bittersweet to nearly burned tasting. Also see Dark Roast; Roasting Coffee.